It was a nice day. Time lapse played. Time sped forward. There was this bird. He wanted a friend. Wanted to talk to us. But we didn't listen. Day become night, night became day and there he stood. Patiently. Glancing up at the passer bys. Singing a little bird song to the not so busy. He perched himself on the walk way out side of the bank. Time lapse. Time sped forward. Sun turned to rain, rain to cold slush and slush began to freeze into ice. Snow fell. Clay bird was stuck. The busy traffic swarm of people deceased and there the lonely clay bird stands, alone. I remember bundling up. I put on my many scarves and headed out for a nice cool walk through the quiet abandoned roads . . . (This is how I liked it) - Imagining that the city was truly abandoned. I walked dead in the middle of the road like I was the last owner of the barren earth. I hear my foot steps push through the snow. Off to mail a letter of some sort. I GASP! From a distance I see him. I see his struggling clay wings flap and legs stretch. There he is! He looked like a cute little animation character straight out of a PIXAR film. "Fuck! Oh my fuck!" I said. . . and a "WHAT THE FUCK?!" and another "FUCK, FUCKK!" How did this poor little clay beauty get stuck!? Is he in pain? Is he hurt? I thought. Suddenly and quite calmly my little bird friend strikingly says, "Hello" with such a humbling smirk on his cartoon like face. Shocked I talk back and we carry a nice and warm conversation. I ask if he is okay and he says, "Well I think so! Ha, today is a beautiful day isn't it?" He goes on and on like an innocent child. He doesn't know what pain is because he accepts it. He is free even when he is frozen to the ground and cannot fly. He is free within. Free throughout. I tell him "I must get you free! I will go get warm water! Wait right here, I'll be back! I promise you." He looks up at me with those eyes I will never forget and looks back down, blinks beautifully and gives me the most special smile. A smile with such grace, smile with such content like all he really wanted was to chat for just a small while to someone that would simply give him just a moment of their time. My heart melted. "Warm water?" He said. He didn't know what this was. It was unnatural to him to even THINK warm water was obtainable in weather such as this. Again, such an innocent creature. I said, "Yes, yes cutie! Your so sweet, I will be back!" He watched me as I rushed back. . . and then I woke up.
I tried so much to get back to sleep to finish this dream. I felt like I betrayed my friend or broke my promise. Maybe one day I will fly back to him. Dreams are so beautiful.
I tried and tried but could not enter the dream. My boyfriend tried to convince me that I could finish it right now as I am awake and typing this. . . but it didn't feel right. He finished it for me.
GAH, What a special dream. . .
Every winged being is symbolic of spiritualization. The bird, according to Jung, is a beneficent animal representing spirits or angels, supernatural
aid (31), thoughts and flights of fancy (32). Hindu tradition has it that birds
represent the higher states of being. To quote a passage from the Upanishads:
Two birds, inseparable companions, inhabit the same tree; the first eats of the
fruit of the tree, the second regards it but does not eat. The first bird is Jivâtmâ,
and the second is Atmâ or pure knowledge, free and unconditioned; and when
they are joined inseparably, then the one is indistinguishable from the other except in an illusory sense’ (26). This interpretation of the bird as symbolic of
the soul is very commonly found in folklore all over the world. There is a Hindu
tale retold by Frazer in which an ogre explains to his daughter where he keeps
his soul: ‘Sixteen miles away from this place’, he says, ‘is a tree. Round the tree
are tigers, and bears, and scorpions, and snakes; on the top of the tree is a very
great fat snake; on his head is a little cage; in the cage is a bird; and my soul is in
that bird’ (21). This was given precise expression in ancient Egyptian symbolism by supplying the bird with a human head; in their system of hieroglyphs it
was a sign corresponding to the determinative Ba (the soul), or the idea that the
soul flies away from the body after death (19). This androcephalous bird appears also in Greek and Romanesque art, and always in this same sense (50).
But the idea of the soul as a bird—the reverse of the symbolic notion—does not
of itself imply that the soul is good. Hence the passage in Revelation (xvii, 2)
describing Babylon as ‘the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean
and hateful bird’. According to Loeffler, the bird, like the fish, was originally a
phallic symbol, endowed however with the power of heightening—suggesting
sublimation and spiritualization. In fairy stories there are many birds which
talk and sing, symbolizing amorous yearning (and cognate with arrows and
breezes). The bird may also stand for the metamorphosis of a lover. Loeffler
adds that birds are universally recognized as intelligent collaborators with man
in myths and folktales, and that they are derived from the great bird-demiurges
of the primitives—bearers of celestial messages and creators of the nether
world; this explains the further significance of birds as messengers (38). The
particular colour of a bird is a factor which determines its secondary symbolisms. The blue bird is regarded by Bachelard (3) as ‘the outcome of aerial
motion’, that is, as a pure association of ideas; but in our view, although this
may well have been its origin, its ultimate aim is something quite different—to
provide a symbol of the impossible (like the blue rose). In alchemy, birds stand
for forces in process of activation; here the precise sense is determined by the
location of the bird: soaring skywards it expresses volatilization or sublimation, and swooping earthwards it expresses precipitation and condensation;
these two symbolic movements joined to form a single figure are expressive of
distillation. Winged beings contrasted with others that are wingless constitute a
symbol of air, of the volatile principle as opposed to the fixed. Nevertheless, as
Diel has pointed out, birds, and particularly flocks of birds—for multiplicity is
ever a sign of the negative—may take on evil implications; for example, swarms
of insects symbolize forces in process of dissolution—forces which are teeming, restless, indeterminate, shattered. Thus, birds, in the Hercules legend, rising up from the lake Stymphalus (which stands for the stagnation of the soul
and the paralysis of the spirit) denote manifold wicked desires (15). The ‘giant
bird’ is always symbolic of a creative deity. The Hindus of Vedic times used to
depict the sun in the form of a huge bird—an eagle or a swan. Germanic tradition
affords further examples of a solar bird (35). It is also symbolic of storms; in
Scandinavian mythology there are references to a gigantic bird called Hraesvelg
(or Hraesveglur), which is supposed to create the wind by beating its wings
(35). In North America, the supreme Being is often equated with the mythic
personification of lightning and thunder as a great bird (17). The bird has a
formidable antagonist in the snake or serpent. According to Zimmer, it is only
in the West that this carries a moral implication; in India, the natural elements
only are contrasted—the solar force as opposed to the fluid energy of the
terrestrial oceans. The name of this solar bird is Garuda, the ‘slayer of the nâgas
or serpents’ (60). Kühn, in The Rock Pictures of Europe, considers a Lascaux
cave picture of a wounded bison, a man stricken to death and a bird on a pole,
and suggests that, by the late Palaeolithic, the bird may have come to symbolize
the soul or a trance-like state.
To see birds in your dream, symbolize your goals, aspirations and hopes. To dream of chirping and/or flying birds, represent joy, harmony, ecstasy, balance, and love. It denotes a sunny outlook in life. You are experiencing spiritual freedom and psychological liberation. It is almost as if a weight has been lifted off your shoulders.
To dream of dead or dying birds, indicates disappointments. You will find yourself worrying over problems that are nagging on your mind.
To see bird eggs in your dream, symbolize money.
To see birds hatching in your dream, symbolize delayed success.
To see a bird nest in your dream, symbolizes independence, refuge and security. You need something to fall back on. Alternatively, it may signify a prosperous endeavor, new opportunities, and fortune.
Dreaming of a chirping and/or flying birds, represents joy, harmony, ecstasy, balance, and love. It indicates a sunny outlook in life. You will experience spiritual freedom and psychological liberation. It is almost as if a weight has been lifted off your shoulders. Dreaming of dead or dying birds, foretells a period of coming disappointments. You will find yourself worrying over problems that are constantly on your mind. Dreaming of bird eggs, symbolizes money. Dreaming of birds hatching, symbolizes delayed success. Dreaming of a bird nest, symbolizes independence, refuge and security. You need something to fall back on. Alternatively, it may signify a prosperous endeavor, new opportunities, and fortune.
The 12th-century writer Alan of Lille, in his De planctu naturae,
describes Nature as an allegorical figure wearing a diadem set with jewels in
imitation of the stars: twelve stones symbolize the signs of the Zodiac and seven
stand for the Sun, the Moon and the five planets (14). This concept is wholly
astrobiological in character, since it partakes of the tendency to bring the discipline of numbers to bear upon living things, and to infuse the astral, the mineral
and the abstract with the vital forces of plant and animal life.
To dream of nature, denotes freedom, tranquility, restoration, and renewal. You are utilizing your instinctual nature.
Dreaming of nature indicates freedom, tranquility, restoration, and renewal. It may represent that your internal instincts are experienced and expressed.
To see or work with clay in your dream, represents creativity, flexibility and the ability to shape your mind or mold yourself to fit into a situation. It may also mean that you are able to manipulate things to your advantage. Alternatively, it indicates your need to set some goals and plans for yourself. You have some growing up to do and need to plan for the future. According to Freudian perspective, clay symbolizes feces.
To see a clay pot in your dream, signifies devotion, virtue or purity. The clay pot is also a healing symbol.
To dream of clay, denotes isolation of interest and probable insolvency. To dig in a clay bank, foretells you will submit to extraordinary demands of enemies. If you dig in an ash bank and find clay, unfortunate surprises will combat progressive enterprises or new work. Your efforts are likely to be misdirected after this dream.
Women will find this dream unfavorable in love, social and business states, and misrepresentations will overwhelm them.
Seeing or working with clay in your dream, represents creativity and the ability to shape your mind. It may also mean that you are able to manipulate things to your advantage. Alternatively, it indicates your need to set some goals and plans for yourself. You have some growing up to do and need to plan for the future. According to Freudian perspective, clay symbolizes feces. Seeing a clay pot in your dream means devotion, virtue or purity. The clay pot is also a healing symbol.
To dream of a sunny day, symbolizes clarity and/or pleasantness. You are seeing things clearly. To dream of a gloomy or cloudy day, signifies sadness. If you dream of a particular day, then you may need to look closely at that day for any significance. Consider the number associated with that day. A certain date could highlight a special anniversary, appointment or occasion.
To dream of the passing of a day, indicates that you need to manage your time better and plot out your goals in a more deliberate manner.
To dream of the day, denotes improvement in your situation, and pleasant associations. A gloomy or cloudy day, foretells loss and ill success in new enterprises.
Dreaming of a sunny day, symbolizes clarity and/or pleasantness. You are seeing things clearly. Dreaming of a gloomy or cloudy day means loss.
In Egyptian hieroglyphs, the symbol for water is a wavy line with
small sharp crests, representing the water’s surface. The same sign, when tripled,
symbolizes a volume of water, that is, the primaeval ocean and prime matter.
According to hermetic tradition, the god Nu was the substance from which the
gods of the first ennead emerged (19). The Chinese consider water as the specific
abode of the dragon, because all life comes from the waters (13). In the Vedas,
water is referred to as mâtritamâh (the most maternal) because, in the beginning,
everything was like a sea without light. In India, this element is generally regarded
as the preserver of life, circulating throughout the whole of nature, in the form of
rain, sap, milk and blood. Limitless and immortal, the waters are the beginning and
the end of all things on earth (60). Although water is, in appearance, formless,
ancient cultures made a distinction between ‘upper waters’ and ‘lower waters’.
The former correspond to the potential or what is still possible, the latter to what
is actual or already created (26). In a general sense, the concept of ‘water’ stands,
of course, for all liquid matter. Moreover, the primaeval waters, the image of
prime matter, also contained all solid bodies before they acquired form and rigidity. For this reason, the alchemists gave the name of ‘water’ to quicksilver in its
first stage of transmutation and, by analogy, also to the ‘fluid body’ of Man (57).
This ‘fluid body’ is interpreted by modern psychology as a symbol of the unconscious, that is, of the non-formal, dynamic, motivating, female side of the personality. The projection of the mother-imago into the waters endows them with
various numinous properties characteristic of the mother (31). A secondary meaning of this symbolism is found in the identification of water with intuitive wisdom. In the cosmogony of the Mesopotamian peoples, the abyss of water was
regarded as a symbol of the unfathomable, impersonal Wisdom. An ancient Irish
god was called Domnu, which means ‘marine depth’. In prehistoric times the
word for abyss seems to have been used exclusively to denote that which was
unfathomable and mysterious (4). The waters, in short, symbolize the universal
congress of potentialities, the fons et origo, which precedes all form and all
creation. Immersion in water signifies a return to the preformal state, with a sense
of death and annihilation on the one hand, but of rebirth and regeneration on the
other, since immersion intensifies the life-force. The symbolism of baptism,
which is closely linked to that of water, has been expounded by St. John
Chrysostom (Homil. in Joh., XXV, 2): ‘It represents death and interment, life and
resurrection. . . . When we plunge our head beneath water, as in a sepulchre, the
old man becomes completely immersed and buried. When we leave the water, the
new man suddenly appears’ (18). The ambiguity of this quotation is only on the
surface: in this particular aspect of the general symbolism of water, death affects
only Man-in-nature while the rebirth is that of spiritual man. On the cosmic level,
the equivalent of immersion is the flood, which causes all forms to dissolve and
return to a fluid state, thus liberating the elements which will later be recombined
in new cosmic patterns. The qualities of transparency and depth, often associated with water, go far towards explaining the veneration of the ancients for this
element which, like earth, was a female principle. The Babylonians called it ‘the
home of wisdom’. Oannes, the mythical being who brings culture to mankind, is
portrayed as half man and half fish (17). Moreover, in dreams, birth is usually
expressed through water-imagery (v. Freud, Introduction to Psycho-Analysis).
The expressions ‘risen from the waves’ and ‘saved from the waters’ symbolize
fertility, and are metaphorical images of childbirth. On the other hand, water is, of
all the elements, the most clearly transitional, between fire and air (the ethereal
elements) and earth (the solid element). By analogy, water stands as a mediator
between life and death, with a two-way positive and negative flow of creation and
destruction. The Charon and Ophelia myths symbolize the last voyage. Death
was the first mariner. ‘Transparent depth’, apart from other meanings, stands in
particular for the communicating link between the surface and the abyss. It can
therefore be said that water conjoins these two images (2). Gaston Bachelard
points to many different characteristics of water, and derives from them many
secondary symbolic meanings which enrich the fundamental meaning we have described. These secondary meanings are not so much a set of strict symbols, as
a kind of language expressing the transmutations of this ever-flowing element.
Bachelard enumerates clear water, spring water, running water, stagnant water,
dead water, fresh and salt water, reflecting water, purifying water, deep water,
stormy water. Whether we take water as a symbol of the collective or of the
personal unconscious, or else as an element of mediation and dissolution, it is
obvious that this symbolism is an expression of the vital potential of the psyche,
of the struggles of the psychic depths to find a way of formulating a clear message
comprehensible to the consciousness. On the other hand, secondary symbolisms
are derived from associated objects such as water-containers, and also from the
ways in which water is used: ablutions, baths, holy water, etc. There is also a
very important spatial symbolism connected with the ‘level’ of the waters, denoting a correlation between actual physical level and absolute moral level. It is
for this reason that the Buddha, in his Assapuram sermon, was able to regard the
mountain-lake—whose transparent waters reveal, at the bottom, sand, shells,
snails and fishes—as the path of redemption. This lake obviously corresponds to
a fundamental aspect of the ‘Upper Waters’. Clouds are another aspect of the
‘Upper Waters’. In Le Transformationi of Ludovico Dolce, we find a mystic
figure looking into the unruffled surface of a pond, in contrast with the accursed
hunter, always in restless pursuit of his prey, implying the symbolic contrast
between contemplative activity—the sattva state of Yoga—and blind outward
activity—the rajas state. Finally, the upper and lower waters communicate reciprocally through the process of rain (involution) and evaporation (evolution).
Here, fire intervenes to modify water: the sun (spirit) causes sea water to evaporate (i.e. it sublimates life). Water is condensed in clouds and returns to earth in
the form of life-giving rain, which is invested with twofold virtues: it is water, and
it comes from heaven (15). Lao-Tse paid considerable attention to this cyclic
process of meteorology, which is at one and the same time physical and spiritual,
observing that: ‘Water never rests, neither by day nor by night. When flowing
above, it causes rain and dew. When flowing below, it forms streams and rivers.
Water is outstanding in doing good. If a dam is raised against it, it stops. If way is
made for it, it flows along that path. Hence it is said that it does not struggle. And
yet it has no equal in destroying that which is strong and hard’ (13). When water
stands revealed in its destructive aspects, in the course of cataclysmic events, its
symbolism does not change, but is merely subordinated to the dominant symbolism of the storm. Similarly, in those contexts where the flowing nature of water is
emphasized, as in the contention of Heraclitus that ‘You cannot step twice into
the same river; for fresh waters are ever flowing in upon you.’ Here the reference is not to water-symbolism as such, but to the idea of the irreversible flow along a
given path. To quote Evola, in La tradizione ermetica: ‘Without divine water,
nothing exists, according to Zosimus. On the other hand, among the symbols of
the female principle are included those which figure as origins of the waters
(mother, life), such as: Mother Earth, Mother of the Waters, Stone, Cave, House
of the Mother, Night, House of Depth, House of Force, House of Wisdom,
Forest, etc. One should not be misled by the word “divine”. Water symbolizes
terrestrial and natural life, never metaphysical life.’
This indicates birth (of some person).
To dream of clear water, foretells that you will joyfully realize prosperity and pleasure.
If the water is muddy, you will be in danger and gloom will occupy Pleasure's seat.
If you see it rise up in your house, denotes that you will struggle to resist evil, but unless you see it subside, you will succumb to dangerous influences.
If you find yourself baling it out, but with feet growing wet, foreshadows trouble, sickness, and misery will work you a hard task, but you will forestall them by your watchfulness. The same may be applied to muddy water rising in vessels.
To fall into muddy water, is a sign that you will make many bitter mistakes, and will suffer poignant grief therefrom.
To drink muddy water, portends sickness, but drinking it clear and refreshing brings favorable consummation of fair hopes.
To sport with water, denotes a sudden awakening to love and passion.
To have it sprayed on your head, denotes that your passionate awakening to love will meet reciprocal consummation.
The following dream and its allegorical occurrence in actual life is related by a young woman student of dreams:
``Without knowing how, I was (in my dream) on a boat, I waded through clear blue water to a wharfboat, which I found to be snow white, but rough and splintry. The next evening I had a delightful male caller, but he remained beyond the time prescribed by mothers and I was severely censured for it.'' The blue water and fairy white boat were the disappointing prospects in the symbol.
To see water in your dream, symbolizes your unconscious and your emotional state of mind. Water is the living essence of the psyche and the flow of life energy. It is also symbolic of spirituality, knowledge, healing and refreshment. To dream that water is boiling, suggests that you are expressing some emotional turmoil. Feelings from your unconscious are surfacing and ready to be acknowledged. You need to let out some steam.
To see calm, clear water in your dream, means that you are in tune with your spirituality. It denotes serenity, peace of mind, and rejuvenation.
To see muddy or dirty water in your dream, indicates that you are wallowing in your negative emotions. You may need to take some time to cleanse your mind and find internal peace. Alternatively, the dream suggests that your thinking/judgment is unclear and clouded. If you are immersed in muddy water, then it indicates that you are in over your head in a situation and are overwhelmed by your emotions.
To dream that water is rising up in your house, suggests that you are becoming overwhelmed by your emotions.
To hear running water in your dream, denotes meditation and reflection. You are reflecting on your thoughts and emotions.
To dream that you are walking on water, indicates that you have total control over your emotions. It also suggests that you need to "stay on top" of your emotions and not let them explode out of hand. Alternatively, the dream is symbolic of faith in yourself.
Seeing water in your dream, symbolizes your unconscious and your emotional state of mind. Water is the living essence of the psyche and the flow of life energy. It is also symbolic of spirituality, knowledge, healing and refreshment. Seeing calm, clear water in your dream means that you are in tune with your spirituality. It indicates serenity, peace of mind, and rejuvenation. Seeing muddy or dirty water in your dream indicates that you are wallowing in your negative emotions. You may need to devote some time to clarify your mind and find internal peace. Alternatively, it suggests that your thinking/judgment is unclear and clouded. If you are immersed in muddy water, then it indicates that you are in over your head in a situation and are overwhelmed by your emotions. Dreaming that water is rising up in your house means your struggles and overwhelming emotions. Hearing running water in your dream indicates meditation, reflection and pondering of your thoughts and emotions. Dreaming that you are walking on water, suggests that you have supreme and ultimate control over your emotions. It may also suggest that you need to "stay on top" of your emotions and not let them explode out of hand. Alternatively, it is symbolic of faith in yourself.
To see friends in your dream, signify aspects of your personality that you have rejected, but are ready to incorporate and acknowledge. The relationships you have with those around you are important in learning about yourself. Alternatively, dreaming of a friend, indicates positive news.
To see your childhood friend in your dream, signifies regression into your past where you had no responsibilities. Things were much simpler and carefree. You may be wanting to escape the pressures and stresses of adulthood. Consider the relationship you had with this friend and the lessons that were learned. Alternatively, the childhood friend suggests that you have been acting in a childish manner. You need to start acting like an adult.
To dream that your best friend is dying, suggests that some aspect or quality that your best friend possess is dying within your own self.
To dream of friends being well and happy, denotes pleasant tidings of them, or you will soon see them or some of their relatives.
To see your friend troubled and haggard, sickness or distress is upon them.
To see your friends dark-colored, denotes unusual sickness or trouble to you or to them. To see them take the form of animals, signifies that enemies will separate you from your closest relations.
To see your friend who dresses in somber colors in flaming red, foretells that unpleasant things will transpire, causing you anxiety if not loss, and that friends will be implicated.
To dream you see a friend standing like a statue on a hill, denotes you will advance beyond present pursuits, but will retain former impressions of justice and knowledge, seeking these through every change. If the figure below be low, you will ignore your friends of former days in your future advancement. If it is on a plane or level with you, you will fail in your ambition to reach other spheres. If you seem to be going from it, you will force yourself to seek a change in spite of friendly ties or self-admonition.
To dream you see a friend with a white cloth tied over his face, denotes that you will be injured by some person who will endeavor to keep up friendly relations with you.
To dream that you are shaking hands with a person who has wronged you, and he is taking his departure and looks sad, foretells you will have differences with a close friend and alienation will perhaps follow. You are most assuredly nearing loss of some character.
Seeing your friends in your dream means aspects of your personality that you have rejected, but are ready to integrate these rejected part of yourself. The relationships you have with those around you are important in learning about yourself. Additionally, this symbol foretells of happy tidings from them and the arrival of good news. Seeing your childhood friend in your dream means regression into your past where you had no responsibilities and things were much simpler and carefree. You may be wanting to escape the the pressures and stresses of adulthood. Consider the relationship you had with this friend and the lessons that were learned. Alternatively, the childhood friend may be suggesting that you have been acting in a childish manner and you need to start acting like an adult. Dreaming that your best friend is dying, suggests that some aspect or quality that your best friend possess is dying within your own self.